Dream Catcher
by Loza333
Summary: What if Callie didn't come out and tell the Fosters about what happened with Liam? What if something out of her control gave it away instead? Warning - Self harm and darker themes are included in this story!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N : So this story takes place before Callie has told anyone about Liam. It's basically a look into Callie's feelings about what happened, her self harm, and opening up to the rest of the Fosters family. There will be lots of Callie/Stef bonding, as I really enjoy the relationship between those two! There is a few darker themes in this story - so be warned if you are triggered by such things. **_

_**I don't own anything - merely borrowing these awesome characters!**_

_**Reviews are welcome of course!**_

**Chapter 1**

Callie woke up suddenly, her breathing rapid and perspiration saturating her thin tank top. She took a few deep breaths, before swinging herself out of bed and standing up on shaking legs. This was starting to get ridiculous. She had woken up this same way the past three nights now; ever since she had met Sarah at that group therapy session. Whenever she closed her eyes at night, she was flooded with memories of that foster home. Flooded with memories and nightmares of Liam.

She padded down the stairs to the kitchen, sighing as she past the clock in the hallway. 3.07am, just perfect. She went over to the sink and got herself a glass of water, sitting down at the kitchen island to try and settle herself before heading back to bed. She looked down at the marks on her left wrist – a reminder of the past few sleepless nights. She really hadn't meant to start cutting again. It just sort of happened. She felt so anxious and angry at the moment; she just had no idea what to do with those feelings. She could feel the cuts from last night burning, and for some reason that feeling really comforted her at the moment. She was just about to put her glass in the sink and head to the bathroom, when someone's footsteps came down the stairs as well. She felt her pulse quicken, she wasn't quite used to this family situation yet. From previous experience – bumping into people in the middle of the night was never a good thing.

"Callie, are you ok?" she heard Stef's calm and quiet voice from the doorway.

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry if I woke you." She whispered.

"It's no problem; I'm a light sleeper."

"I'm sorry anyway. I really didn't mean to wake you." Callie moved her hands under the table, silently cursing herself for not having long sleeves on.

Stef took in the appearance of Callie, and got that feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her something was wrong. Callie eyes were bloodshot, her hair tangled, and her top drenched with sweat.

"Can't you sleep sweets?" she asked gently, moving closer to Callie.

"Yeah I guess not."

"You've been up the last few nights as well yeah?"

Callie felt guilt wash over her as she realised that she had probably woken Stef up every night this week. She began to panic as she thought about the last few nights – the rummaging in the bathroom drawers, the sobbing, and the pain in her wrist. She wondered if Stef had heard all of it…

"I'm really sorry Stef."

Stef frowned as she realised how upset Callie was at the thought of waking other people up – a thought that wouldn't usually cross a normal teenager's mind.

Callie however was not a normal teenager. She moved closer to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. She felt Callie tense up at the contact, and Stef squeezed her that little bit harder before letting her go.

"It's not a big deal Callie, I'm just worried about you."

"I'm all good. I'm… going to head to bed now" Callie stammered, not meeting Stef's concerned gaze.

"Ok hun. Let us know if you need anything" Stef said, but Callie was already out of the kitchen and up the stairs again.

Instead of entering her room however, she went to the bathroom and flicked on the light. Sliding open the drawer, she felt around the back for the razor she had stashed there. Pulling it out quietly, she held it to her wrist, cutting away her feelings of guilt. Her guilt over Liam, over her brother, over waking up Stef – a woman who has been nothing but good to her. She felt tears begin to slide down her cheeks, her eyes stinging from the lack of sleep. She was sick of hurting everyone around her. Holding a tissue to her wrist, she pressed firmly until the bleeding had stopped. She put the razor back in the drawer, looking at herself in the mirror and shaking her head. How did she end up in the same place she always does?

On her way back up to bed, Stef saw the light from the bathroom seeping out into the dark hallway. She moved closer to the door – hearing muffled sobs coming from inside. She sighed, her heart breaking to see Callie in such an emotional state. She wished that Callie would open up to someone; things seemed to be going so well. Callie had settled in to their house, Jude was really happy, the kids had all bonded and accepted Callie and Jude as part of their family. Lena and Stef virtually thought of the two as their own. And yet Callie was still hiding her sadness from everyone.

Stef thought about knocking on the door, but decided against it. She felt that it was probably best to give Callie some space, wait until she was ready to talk to her or Lena about whatever was going on. She sighed, and as much as she hated leaving the teen alone, went back to her bedroom.

Stef waited in the doorway until she heard the running tap switch off. She watched the door slowly open, the light switch off, and Callie walk back to her room in complete silence.

She would try again tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N Thanks heaps for the great response to this story guys! Really appreciate it. _**

**Chapter 2**

Callie woke up to the sound of her phone alarm beeping. She smashed it with her hand angrily, knocking it to the floor. She mumbled something under her breath, and then heard Marianna's muffled laughter from across the room.

"Wow you are not a morning person are you?" she said playfully.

Callie made a face back at her, falling back onto her bed in a heap.

"Did you not sleep well?" Marianna asked, noticing the dark circles under her roommate's eyes.

"No not really I guess" Callie mumbled.

"Well I'll let the Mom's know that you're awake anyway, at least then they won't come banging on the door."

Callie smiled her thanks at Marianna while watching her bouncily leave the room.

Callie laid back in bed, her whole body aching from the lack of sleep over the past few nights. She was hoping that the nightmares would go away soon, she was sick of waking up each morning feeling like this.

Stef kissed Lena on the cheek as she entered the kitchen.

"Morning love." She said tiredly.

"Hey, did you have trouble sleeping last night?" Lena asked her wife, noticing the tired expression Stef was wearing.

"Hmm something like that…"

Lena raised her eyebrows at Stef's vagueness.

As the kids started filtering into the kitchen with the usual morning noise, Lena noticed that there was one child missing.

"Marianna, where's Callie?"

"She's awake" Marianna replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll go see what's taking her so long" Lena said, but Stef's hand on her forearm stopped her.

"Maybe leave her for a little bit" she said, pulling her wife towards the stairs as she noticed all four children's eyes on them.

"Callie was up in the middle of the night last night. It seems like she has been having nightmares or something." Stef explained.

"Oh, well is she ok?" Lena asked concerned.

"I don't know, she was really jumpy and restless when I spoke to her last night… like she was hiding something. And then when she told me she was going back to bed, I heard her crying in the bathroom."

Lena nodded, not really sure what to say. They knew it was going to be hard taking Callie and Jude in, especially knowing some of the things they had been through in their short lives.

"She's probably just having a hard time settling in… " Stef said, seeing the worry etched all over Lena's face. "It must be a lot harder for her than it is for Jude."

"Yeah, I guess so"

"I'll go and see if she's ok, you worry about the rest of the kids hey?" Stef suggested, squeezing Lena's hand.

"Thanks" Lena half smiled. It was hard to believe that the first night Callie came to stay with them, there was hardly any connection between her and Stef. The fact that Stef was a Police officer really seemed to really throw Callie at the start, but now… well Lena felt proud at how far their relationship had come.

Stef knocked lightly on the bedroom door, listening for any signs of movement. When she heard nothing, she called out to Callie.

"Callie hun, are you awake?"

When she still got nothing, she quietly opened the door, seeing Callie still lying in bed. Stef walked closer to her, seeing her phone on the floor. She must have dozed back off to sleep.

Stef studied her carefully, seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the worry lines on her face. She sat down beside her, resting her hand on her shoulder gently.

"Callie, it's time to wake up. You're going to be late to school."

She lightly shook the teen's shoulder, saying her name a little louder this time.

Callie suddenly jumped awake, her hand clasping around Stef's forearm aggressively.

"Callie" Stef said again, her voice a little louder.

Stef could see the distress that Callie was in; she was still half asleep but was pushing her foster mother away forcefully.

"Ok Callie, it's me Stef. No one is trying to hurt you love" she said again, her voice calm but strong enough that Callie's eyes fluttered open.

Callie looked down at the grip she had on Stef's arm, and quickly pulled her hand back.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, scooting as far away from Stef as she could on a single bed.

"It's ok sweets. Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine; I must have gone back to sleep. I'll get ready real quick" she said hurriedly, getting out of bed.

"Hey, come on talk to me kid. There is clearly something going on here. Lena and I just want to help you" Stef said sincerely.

"I know." Callie paused, shrugging her shoulders in response. "But I'm fine".

"Ok" Stef said unconvincingly, knowing that she was being lied to but not really sure what to do next.

Callie nodded as Stef headed towards the door.

"Oh and Stef…" Callie said to her back. Stef turned around, smiling softly at her.

"Sorry for grabbing you before…." Callie paused, as if she was unsure of her sentence. "…I thought you were someone else."

And with that, Callie turned around and began getting ready for school.

Stef left the room reluctantly, with what Callie said weighing heavily on her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N Thanks again for all the great reviews and encouragement! Glad your enjoying it!**_

**Chapter 3**

Lena was in her office after a hectic day at school, a massive pile of paperwork looming in front of her. She heard the sound of her cell phone buzzing, smiling when she saw Stef's name on the caller ID.

"Hey Stef" she answered brightly.

"Hey love. How's your day going?"

"Oh you know the usual. Lots of running around school all day, now lots of paperwork."

"Ahh I know the feeling" Stef replied, glancing over at her own pile of paperwork.

"What's up hun?" Lena asked.

"I was just checking in to see how the kids are."

"Oh, they're all fine I think. Not that I have seen much of them today. As far as I know Brandon is taking the twins and Callie home, and Jude is staying back at school for tutoring. I'll drive him home when I finish. "

"Ok, great…" Stef said, pausing like she had something else to add.

"Is there something going on…?" Lena asked, worry creeping into her tone.

"No, nothing like that. I was just thinking about Callie and something she said to me this morning. It just didn't sit well with me, I've been thinking about it all day. I just wanted to make sure she was ok at school…"

Lena frowned; she could hear the concern in her partner's voice.

"Well what did she say?"

"Callie overslept this morning, and went I went to wake her up, she flipped out. She grabbed my wrist, and was pushing me away. She was really scared. And then once she was awake, she apologized for grabbing me and said that she thought I was someone else."

Lena was silent, completely thrown by what Stef was telling her.

"That part about her thinking I was someone else; and if you could have seen how scared and freaked out she was. It's just been making me uneasy all day. Do you think it was someone from a previous foster home?" Stef asked, glad to share what was on her mind with Lena.

"It could be, I mean Bill said that both the kids had been in some bad situations. We know that they have had bad luck with foster families in the past. And her last foster father was violent right?"

'Yeah he was." Stef paused, and Lena felt like she could almost hear her partners mind ticking over all possibilities.

"Maybe we should try and talk to Callie about it at home tonight?" Lena suggested. "Maybe even talk to Jude as well?"

"It's worth a try hun. She just seems so closed off all the time."

"Does Callie ever let you touch her, or hug her?" Lena asked suddenly.

"Um, no I guess not. Last night I felt her tense when I touched her, and this morning she couldn't get away from me fast enough. When I woke her up she jumped away from me."

"Hmm… maybe we are dealing with something more serious here Stef." Lena said, sighing. He heart continued to break for these two wonderful children. How anyone could ever treat them poorly was beyond her.

"Are we able to talk to Bill about what her previous homes were like do you think?" Stef asked.

"Maybe, but I have a feeling that whatever happened to Callie and Jude isn't exactly going to be documented anywhere. "

"That's what I was afraid of really" Stef said sadly.

"We'll try talking to Callie about it tonight hey. We'll work it out Stef, try not to worry."Lena said reassuringly.

"Thanks my love. I'll see you tonight ok." And with that, the two women hung up their phones, both completely lost in their thoughts.

Lena was waiting outside the library while Jude finished up with his tutor. The smiling boy came out to greet her, giving her a quick hug around her middle.

"Hi Lena" he said softly.

"How was tutoring Jude?" she asked, smiling down at him.

"It was good; I really like the other kids in the group as well."

Lena smiled, happy that she had managed to get Jude into a small study group that one of his teachers ran.

"Well let's get out of here hey, I don't know about you, but I've had enough school for one day!"

Jude laughed, nodding his head.

Once they were in the car, Lena cleared her throat and turned on the ignition. As she pulled out of the car park, she wondered if talking to Jude was a good idea. She knew Callie would be upset if she found out, but she and Stef were only trying to do what was best for her.

"Jude, can I ask you something?"

"Sure" he replied, looking over at her.

"I know you and Callie have been to a lot of foster homes in the past, and some haven't been all that great. But, were any of the parents or other family members ever violent towards you or Callie?"

Jude looked unsure for a moment, like he was thinking about his answer.

"Yes, most of them were really" he said simply.

Lena looked over at the boy, a look of genuine sorrow on her face.

"But Callie always protected me you know. She would always get in the way of someone looked like they were going to hurt me. Sometimes Callie got herself really hurt…" Jude's voice trailed off, and he moved his gaze to the window.

Lena put her hand on his knee, sighing deeply as she thought about the horrible situations the brother and sister must have endured.

"But there was one place in particular…" Jude started, his head telling him that he shouldn't say anymore, that Callie would kill him if he told Lena. But this was the first foster home that he had ever felt safe in, ever. And Stef and Lena were amazing. He really wanted to stay with them. And maybe they would be able to help Callie, make her happy too.

"… A place a few years ago that Callie really hated. They had an older boy as well, and he did something bad to Callie. She was so scared of him, and then she began acting strange. I think sometimes she used to hurt herself on purpose…" Jude choked out, his eyes full of tears.

Lena pulled the car over, immediately reaching for Jude and pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you for telling me sweetie. That must have been hard." Lena said softly.

Jude nodded; panic suddenly flashing across his face.

"Please don't tell Callie I said anything. She would hate me…" he said, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Of course Jude. We just want to help your sister though. We just want her to feel safe, we want to help her get better." Lena said, looking the boy in the eyes.

"I know" he said back.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N Wow, so grateful for the wonderful response that this story has gotten so far. Thanks so much to all of the people who took the time to post reviews! **_

**Chapter 4**

At the moment, Liam was all Callie could think about. After they were removed from that house, Callie took it hard, and the guilt consumed her. But that was 2 years ago; and she had managed to accept it. Accept that it was something that happened to her. But now, that group therapy session had brought it all back up again. She was yet again, consumed with guilt. All she could think about was Sarah in that house, and Sarah feeling the exact same way that Liam made her feel all that time ago. It wasn't right, and yet Callie couldn't seem to do anything about it. She wanted to tell someone, wanted to report it so that Sarah would be safe, but she just couldn't do it. She couldn't even bring herself to think about telling Stef or Lena. What would they think of her? It would get her and Jude kicked out for sure, and she was not going to be responsible for having Jude thrown out of another house. Especially not this house, a house he loved so dearly already.

She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, guilt washing over again.

How could she keep quiet about this though? What if the same thing happened to Sarah? What if it had already happened? She couldn't live with that on her conscious forever, she couldn't live with herself knowing that she could have prevented that kind of pain.

She didn't even feel the first cut as the razor sliced through her skin. She could see it bleeding, see the blood pooling on her arm and in the sink, and yet she felt nothing.

Her heart felt as though it was hammering in her chest, and it was difficult to breathe. She put another slice in her wrist, and another, until she could finally breathe again. Until she could finally feel what she was doing to herself. And as suddenly as the feeling of relief had come over her, it was quickly replaced with anxiety. As Callie looked down at the mess she had made of her wrist, she wondered when it was going to stop bleeding, and how she was going to hide this day in and day out. She was going to have to be more careful. Stef and Lena would be sure to throw her out if they found out how truly messed up she was.

Jude entered the house with Lena close behind him, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

"Hey Jude" Stef said brightly, but the boy just smiled his hello and kept walking.

"Everything ok with him?" Stef asked Lena, kissing her briefly.

"Yeah everything's ok. He's a seriously strong little boy Stef…"

"Oh…Did you talk to him?" Stef asked, intrigue written all over her face.

Lena nodded, pulling Stef in for a hug. Just the feel of her partner's strong arms around her put her at ease, and she quickly scanned the room for any signs of teenagers. She pulled back, looking into Stef's eyes and sighing.

"Do we have time to talk?"

"Of course my love" Stef said, taking her partner's hand and heading up the stairs to their bedroom.

"Wow… I… just wow" Stef stammered once Lena had recounted her conversation in the car with Jude.

"I know right. I can't believe what these two have been through sometimes. And Jude was so strong through it all; it was like he just thought it was all normal. Like that was just what happens to people, you know" Lena said, the sadness reaching her eyes.

Stef just nodded in silent agreement, her mind racing.

"Do you still think we can handle this?" Lena asked quietly, looking over at Stef.

"Of course we can love. I don't know about you, but I already love these kids like they were ours…." Stef paused, trying to read her partners expression. "And I know you said that we shouldn't get attached, but they are such great kids. And they deserve someone in their corner for once. Someone to help them, even if it's not forever."

Lena smiled, falling even more in love with Stef as she finished her heartfelt explanation. Lena walked over to where Stef sat on the edge of the bed and kneeled in front of her.

"I couldn't agree more." She smiled, placing her hand on top of Stef's. "I also couldn't be more in love with you than I am right now."

Stef smiled back, kissing Lena sweetly.

"So what do we do now?"

Callie could hear the Mom's calling everybody down for dinner. Her heart raced faster. Her wrist was still bleeding. She had been holding tissues to it for what felt like ages, but it just wouldn't stop. She began rummaging through the bathroom drawers, looking for band aids or a bandage, anything at this point. She heard all the noise from Jude and the rest of the kids disappear down the stairs, and she knew she didn't have long. Stef or Lena would be up here any minute looking for her. She finally found a packet of band aids and she threw the razor back into the cupboard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Stef and Lena were surrounded by the noise of the kids in the kitchen before they finally managed to get everybody sitting and ready for dinner. As Lena started serving up, Stef noticed that there was one place at the table still free.

"Guys, where's Callie?" Stef asked, looking round at the other kids.

"I'm pretty sure she is in the bathroom" Marianna piped up. "She might be sick or something; because she has been in there for like ages."

Jude shot a look at Lena, his eyes wide, worried that Callie had somehow found out about what he had told her earlier.

"I can go check on her Mom." Brandon offered, but Stef had already jumped into action.

"I'm on it, start eating guys!" she said quickly and a little too loudly. She didn't want the kids hearing the panic in her voice.

"Let's go, Jude hand me your plate" Lena said, keeping the kids occupied as Stef flew up the stairs.

Stef got to the bathroom in record timing, knocking lightly on the door and calling Callie's name.

"Sorry I'll be down in a second" she heard Callie say, a hint of anxiety evident in the teen's usually calm voice.

"Is everything ok?" Stef asked, moving a little closer to the door.

"It's fine, I'm fine".

Stef could hear rummaging, and what sounded like plastic wrappers or something. She couldn't quite make it out. Why on earth had they let the kids talk them into putting locks on the doors?

She moved back and sat on the girl's bed, completely silent.

Callie quickly threw all of the tissues and band aid wrappers into the trash can, making sure that the blood stained ones were on the bottom. She cleaned up the sink, finally looking down at the mismatched band aids on her wrist. She had to use more than one to stop the bleeding. She pulled her long sleeves down, holding them in her hand, and then listened at the door. She heard nothing; Stef must have gone back down stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief, opening the door, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Stef sitting on the bed waiting for her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait…" Callie said quickly.

"It's ok sweets."

"No it's my fault. I can do all the cleaning up tonight, or all week… you know as punishment…" she offered seriously.

Stef frowned, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

"Wow, well that's a generous offer I don't think I have ever heard in _this _house before, but it's not necessary."

Callie nodded, playing with her sleeves and making sure everything was still covered.

"Did you think we would punish you for being late downstairs?" Stef asked, confused.

"Maybe, it's happened"

Stef smiled sadly, wanting to wrap the girl in a hug, but knowing Callie wasn't quite ready for that yet.

"Is everything ok Callie?" Stef asked.

"Yes. I'm just a bit tired I guess." She answered automatically.

"These bad dreams have been keeping you up hey sweets?"

Callie looked into Stef's kind eyes and nodded.

"Ok, well why don't we head downstairs and have some dinner? Maybe after that we can watch a movie, might help settle you before you go to sleep."

"Yeah…" Callie agreed, turning and heading towards the stairs. She could feel tears welling in her eyes, and she really didn't want to cry in front of Stef. They weren't exactly sad tears though; they were almost tears of relief. She had no idea how they had managed to find Stef and Lena, but they were so good to her and Jude. They were quite literally, the best people she had ever met in her entire life. She was just so scared of losing them, of being sent away. She didn't want to lose this family.

Stef followed behind Callie, but something was bothering her. She turned back towards the bathroom, pushing the door open and taking a quick look around. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She checked the shower, checked the sink and the cupboard, but there was nothing. Just as she was leaving, something caught her eye in the bottom of the trash can. Reaching down to move a few things around, she saw them. Loads of tissues covered in a lot of blood. Way more blood than just a regular scratch. Her stomach turned to knots, and her heart broke even more for the young girl. Putting everything back the way she found it, she sighed deeply, shut the bathroom door and headed back to her family.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N So happy with the reviews and favourites this story has got so far! Thanks very much to everyone who has taken the time to read and review.**_

**Chapter 6**

Callie was really not hungry, but she sat at the table with the rest of the family and nodded and laughed where necessary. She pushed the food around her plate, eating a few bites here and there when she felt Stef's eyes on her. Her wrist was now throbbing in pain, a constant reminder of what she had done earlier. The guilt washed over her as she thought about how selfish she was being. What would it mean for Jude if they found out about Liam, or the cutting?

"Are you finished Callie?" Brandon asked softly, dragging her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, thanks" she smiled as he took her plate to the sink.

Lena and Stef exchanged worried looks, seeing how little Callie had said at dinner, or eaten for that matter.

Everyone jumped into cleaning up the kitchen, putting food into containers and stacking dishes. While the kids were busy arguing over whose turn it was to wash, Stef pulled Lena aside and told her what she had found in the bathroom. Lena went pale, listening to what Stef was saying. Was Callie really that unhappy that she was hurting herself that severely?

"I don't know, there could be a perfectly good explanation I guess?" Stef added, seeing the colour drain from her partners face. "We shouldn't assume anything."

Lena nodded, and the two women headed back into the kitchen to help with the cleaning up.

After dinner and the cleaning up was done, Brandon disappeared to his piano, Jesus to his laptop and Marianna to her room. That left Stef and Lena alone with the two Jacobs siblings, and to say Callie looked uncomfortable was an understatement.

"I told Callie that we would watch a movie" Stef said to Lena, ushering her and the kids into the lounge room. "We thought it might help with her little sleeping problem".

Jude's head whipped around to look at his sister.

"Are you having nightmares again?" he asked.

"No baby, nothing like that. Just trouble sleeping, that's all." She reassured him

"That's right, nothing to worry about Jude" Lena said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you pick a movie sweetie?"

Jude rushed over to the DVD's and grabbed one, heading over to the TV to put it in. Lena sat down on the couch, and to Callie's surprise, Jude ran to sit beside her. Lena put her arm out, and Jude sat as close as possible to her.

Although Callie was happy her brother had become so comfortable with the two women, the situation kind of scared her. Jude would always sit by her when they watched movies, he always wanted to. It was a strange feeling to see him so attached to someone that wasn't her. As if sensing her deliberation, Stef patted the spot beside her on the other couch. Callie sat at the far end, as far away from Stef as she could without being too obvious. Stef inwardly sighed, wishing that Callie was as easy to read as Jude was.

However, as the movie progressed, Stef noticed Callie get closer and closer to her on the couch. At one point, Callie looked at Stef as if she waiting for her to get mad that she was sitting so close to her. When Stef just smiled back at her, she felt the girl relax and shuffle closer to her again. Towards the end of the film, Callie had fallen asleep snuggled against Stef's side, her breathing slow and relaxed. Stef smiled, resting her head on Callie's. Baby steps.

Once the movie was over, Jude proudly smiled as he whispered to Lena that he had totally stayed up later than his sister. Lena looked over to see Callie sleeping soundly against Stef, and the two women smiled at each other.

"Right Mr, it is way past your bedtime so you better get going." Lena said playfully.

"We'll be up in a bit to say goodnight." Stef added.

Jude flashed them both a smile, looking forward to them coming up to say goodnight to him. No one had ever done that for him before, no one other than Callie that is.

Callie snuggled in closer to Stef, her arm resting across Stef's lap. A flash of something on Callie's sleeve made Stef do a double take.

"Lena, will you put the lamp on for me please…" Stef said calmly.

Lena knew that tone in her partner's voice, it was her serious voice. The voice she used when something was wrong but she didn't want to alarm anyone. It was her cop voice. Lena did as she was told, flicking the light on and walking back over towards them.

Stef carefully turned Callie's wrist over, seeing the blood stains on her dark purple sleeve. She slowly pushed the teen's sleeve up; gasping when she saw what was underneath.

"Oh Callie…" Stef whispered, noticing the sheer number of marks on her skin. Some of them were fresh, some were weeks old, but others looked like they may have been there for much longer.

Lena put her hand over her mouth when she saw what Stef was looking at. The blood soaked band aids were enough to make her feel queasy; she wondered how much pain Callie must truly be in to put herself through this.

Stef ran a finger lightly over Callie's wrist, searching for any sign of infection or other damage. She felt Callie stir beside her, and Lena helped move the teen so she was lying on the couch and not across Stef.

Lena pulled Stef into the kitchen, staring at her in disbelief.

Stef sighed, shaking her head and leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Poor Callie. How long do you think this has been going on?" Lena asked in shock.

"I don't know, probably quite a while."

"How is it possible that no one has noticed this before?"

Stef just looked at her sadly, amazed at how the system had managed to fail the two siblings so miserably.

"What are we going to do Stef?"

"I don't know hun. I think I need to think about it, sleep on it maybe. Try and work this out tomorrow morning?"

"She's sleeping so peacefully at the moment, should we leave her on the couch?" Lena suggested.

"Yeah I think that's best" Stef answered, pausing to think before she continued. "We probably shouldn't leave her alone though, should we?"

"I guess not."

So the two women went upstairs, said goodnight to Jude and checked in on the other kids.

"Where's Callie?" asked Marianna when they peeked in to her room.

"She's going to stay downstairs tonight. She fell asleep on the couch" Lena explained.

Marianna nodded, noticing the hint of unease on her Mom's faces.

"Ok, Goodnight"

Lena and Stef walked back downstairs, their arms full of pillows and blankets. Placing a blanket over the still sleeping Callie, Stef pushed her sleeve back over her exposed wrist.

"You're not disposable Callie" she whispered, thinking back to that night where they first realised Callie was part of a package deal. "We will help you get better"

She kissed Callie on the forehead, before climbing onto the other couch with Lena. Lena put her arms around Stef, and although she could feel her partner's heart thudding in her chest, she felt her body noticeably relax.

"I love you" Lena whispered.

"You too. Try and get some sleep my love" she said, knowing that sleeping was the furthest thing from either of their minds.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The sound of someone screaming woke Stef up from a light sleep in a heartbeat. The scream was piercing in the silent house. She jumped up quickly, untangling herself from Lena and quickly searching for the source of the noise. She was disoriented, and found herself wondering why she was in the unfamiliar surroundings of the living room.

Then it all came flooding back to her. Callie. The cuts. Sleeping on the couch. It felt like she had been standing there for hours confused, when in reality it was merely a few seconds.

Jumping into action she headed towards Callie, whose screams had now turned to a low murmur.

Stef felt Lena right behind her as she knelt beside the couch.

"Get away from me Liam. Please, leave me alone." Callie whispered into the dark.

Stef looked over her shoulder at Lena, a worried look plastered on her partner's face. She imagined it was the same look that she was also wearing right now.

"I said no; get out of my room…" Callie said in a louder voice. She was thrashing about on the couch, her eyes firmly closed but her mind clearly racing.

Stef gulped back the lump in her throat, before quickly shaking Callie awake.

"Callie, wake up. It's Stef, you're having a nightmare…"

Callie continued to toss on the couch, low whimpers coming from her mouth as she remained stuck in the vivid dream.

"You're safe Callie. Wake up" Stef said more forcefully, shaking her again.

Callie eyes flew open, and she sat herself up quickly. She found herself gasping for air, looking around confused by her surroundings.

"It's ok sweetie. You're in the living room," Lena whispered.

Callie looked at the two women in front of her, their faces so full of concern and worry. She had never really seen anyone look at her like that before. She felt grateful and unsettled all at the same time. Tears began to build in her eyes, and one desperate look at Stef was all it took for her to come undone. Stef was beside her in an instant, her arms wrapping around Callie as she began to sob uncontrollably. She felt Lena sit on the other side of her, and felt the woman's hand rubbing small circles on her back.

"We've got you Callie. It's ok, were not going to let anyone hurt you love…" Stef said tightening her hold on the girl as her body shook with tears.

Callie was amazed at how safe she actually felt between the two women. Over the years Callie had met a lot of people who were supposed to be there for her to keep her safe and protected. Stef and Lena were the only ones who had come close to even trying. They were the only ones who she believed actually would do all those things for her. The only parents she had even met that seemed to actually care about the wellbeing of their children. Whether they are biological, adopted or otherwise. She had to tell them, about Liam, about the cutting; about all of it. She had to do it for Jude, to make sure he would be taken care of by these two wonderful people. Her stomach churned at the thought of Sarah in that house, with him, when she was here with such a safe and loving family. She felt like she was going to be sick, and she quickly jumped up out of Stef's arms and ran to the bathroom.

She felt the two women close behind her, and as she began to dry wretch she felt Lena's hands holding her hair and Stef's hand on her back.

These two women really were amazing.

After half an hour of sitting in the bathroom, Lena managed to lead Callie back into the living room with a glass of water. Stef returned from the stairs, having checked in on the rest of the kids who were still sleeping, despite the earlier noise.

"Did I wake anyone?" Callie asked meekly.

"Of course not sweetie, you love in a house full of teenagers. They sleep through anything." Stef said a grin on her face.

Callie leaned back on the couch, noticing for the first time the jumble of pillows and blankets on the opposite couch.

"Why were you guys sleeping down here?" Callie asked, gesturing towards the makeshift bed.

Stef looked at Lena, who put a hand on Callie's shoulder and rubbed small, comforting circles.

"We didn't want you to be alone…"

Callie frowned, completely confused as to why anyone would do that.

Stef cleared her throat from across the room, causing the teen to up at her and notice the serious expression on her face.

"Callie…" she started, her eyes darting over to her partners. Lena's expression told her that she needed to continue. They needed to talk about this now. "Callie, why have you been hurting yourself? We saw the marks on your wrist sweetie." Stef choked out.

Callie visibly flinched, subconsciously cradling her wrist in her lap. Her eyes fluttered down, seeing the blood stains on her sleeve that must have given her away. She had no idea what to say. How could she explain this to them, how was she going to explain it to anyone?

After a few minutes of silence, Lena turned Callie's chin to look at her.

"We are not mad, and you are not in trouble at all. We just want to help you." She said calmly, her eyes boring into Callie's.

Stef moved closer, kneeling in front of the teen and carefully taking her wrist of her lap. Turning it over and pushing up her sleeve, she used her finger to rub circles in her palm. She watched Callie look at what she had done to her skin, and then shift her eyes upwards to stare at Stef.

"This is not healthy Callie. You could really hurt yourself" she said seriously.

Callie just nodded, unable to speak. Tears filled her eyes, but she held them back.

"I'm going to take these bandages off and give you First Aid Callie…" Stef said.

Callie yanked her hand back, shaking her head.

"It's fine, really. I don't need you to look at them" she said quickly.

"It's not a question love. I will be checking these cuts for you." Stef said firmly.

Callie was mortified, and she felt her stomach churn and a single tear escape down her cheek.

"Why? Why do you even care?" she said in disbelief.

Stef looked at Lena, and their hearts broke for the girl in front of them. How could someone so young feel this worthless?

"Because you are an amazing young woman Callie. And even if you have given up on yourself, we will never give up on you. We are here to protect you, to support you, to love you. You just have to let us…" Lena said her voice full of compassion.

Callie looked from one woman to the other, the sincerity in their words ripping through her heart. She had to do this; she had to do this for Jude, and for herself. They needed Stef and Lena in their lives. That much she knew.

"Thank you" she whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N Thanks so much for all your great reviews! They make it much easier to keep writing so thanks to those that have taken the time to tell me what you think! Well it's finally all coming out... hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 8**

Lena had left Stef and Callie alone on the couch while Stef checked the cuts on the teen. Lena felt guilty letting her partner shoulder that responsibly, but she really didn't think she could handle seeing what was under those bandages. The blood stains alone were enough to make her feel queasy. She paced nervously around the kitchen, unsure of what their next move should be. After hearing Callie's shouts in her dreams tonight, as well as what Jude had told her, well it wasn't hard to put the pieces together as to what may have happened. She forced back the lump in her throat as she thought about the horrible things that had happened to this poor girl. It really wasn't fair. If the horrible scenario that was playing in her mind was true, it would explain a lot of the behaviours Callie had been displaying. It would also mean that she and Stef were taking on a whole new array of problems. She really hoped that they were going to be able to help Callie, and look after their other four kids effectively.

"Does that hurt?" Stef asked, watching as Callie winced as she dabbed a more recent cut.

"A bit."

Stef looked at the jumbled array of cuts on the teen's wrist, and her stomach tightened. Some were long and deep, others only tiny. Stef ran the antiseptic wipe over the biggest cut, studying it carefully.

"This one is quite deep Callie. It must have bled for a while…"

Callie inwardly groaned and her cheeks flushed. This was humiliating.

"Yeah I guess" she mumbled, finding it extremely difficult to look Stef in the eye.

"Did you do this in the bathroom tonight, when you were late coming down for dinner?"

Callie looked at her in shock. Never in her life had anyone paid this much attention to her. It was making her feel strange.

"How did you know?" she croaked.

"Well it looks fresh, you were in the bathroom for ages, and I saw all the blood soaked tissues in the trash…" Stef said simply.

Callie sighed; sometimes she forgot Stef was a cop. Her instincts were sharper than most people's.

"Can I ask you something Callie?" Stef asked, as she placed a fresh bandage over the girl's wrist.

Callie just nodded in silence.

Stef took a deep breath, it was now or never.

"Who's Liam?"

"Ahh, um, what?" Callie stumbled, not believing what was coming out of her foster mother's mouth.

"Liam. You were having a nightmare about him…"

"Oh" she replied, putting her head in her hands briefly. That was even more humiliating than the cutting.

"Callie this is nothing to be embarrassed about, do you hear me?" she said, sensing the girl's unease. She put her fingers under her chin, turning her so she was looking directly into her eyes. "We just want to help you. Telling someone about it might be good for you, and you can trust me and Lena. "

Callie's heart ached as she saw the truth in Stef's eyes. She could trust them, she knew that. She knew she needed to tell someone. She needed help; she needed to get better for Jude.

Stef saw the deliberation on the teen's face, and placed a gentle hand on her knee.

"I can go and get Lena, if you would rather talk to her…" she offered, shifting in her seat.

Callie's hold on Stef's hand was instant, and it wasn't just your regular hand hold. It was a tight grasp, like she was clinging to the older woman like her life depended on it.

"No, I'd rather tell you…" she said quietly. Stef was strong and tough; Callie had always admired her for that. Something told Callie that Stef was the one who would be strong enough to hear this, that she was the one that would be able to help Callie.

"Ok love. I'm listening…" Stef said, still holding on to Callie's hand tightly.

"About 2 years ago Jude and I lived with another family, and we thought it was one of the better ones. The parents were nice enough, and they had another child, a son who was around nineteen. He was really nice to me and Jude; you know he used to take us places after school and on the weekends. He would put candy in our lunchboxes, he would help Jude with his homework, and he gave me his old iPod and helped me put music on it. He just seemed really nice." Callie paused, looking over at Stef.

Stef just nodded her head, showing her she was listening and should continue.

"But then he started to get flirty with me. He used to tell me how pretty I looked, or would tell me to change clothes but stay in the room while I did it. I didn't think much of it at first; I guess I'd never really had that kind of attention before. Then one day he tried to kiss me, and when I said that I didn't think it was a good idea, he kissed me harder. "

Stef's anger began to boil inside her, but she kept it under control and hidden in front of Callie. She didn't want to scare her off when she was doing so well opening up to her.

"He kept doing it you know, when his parents weren't looking or when we were home alone. He would try and touch me, and in the end I wasn't sure what to do. Saying no wasn't really working, and Jude was happy enough in the house. I didn't want to do anything that would get us kicked out, so I just let him do it." Callie felt tears trickle down her face, and she quickly brushed them away.

"And I should have known better, I should have been more forceful, I should have told someone. But then one night he came into my room and asked me to…" she paused, stumbling over the words. Her heart was racing, and she could barely speak.

She felt Stef's hand on her back, rubbing circles as she gripped tight to her other hand. She took a deep breath, knowing that she was nearly there. She just had to get the last few sentences out.

"…he asked me to have sex with him. I said that I wasn't ready, but he said he didn't care and did it anyway. He forced me to have sex with him, more than once. And then his parents found out, said that I must have seduced him and within twelve hours Jude and I were kicked out. "she exhaled, surprised at what she had just done. Stef was right, she did feel better. She always thought that if she told someone she would be judged and humiliated, but instead she felt like a weight had been lifted. Like she could finally breathe again.

She felt Stef's strong arms encircle her on the couch, and leaned into her touch.

"I am so sorry that happened to you baby…" Stef whispered, her own voice wavering as she held back tears. "But it was not your fault, not at all. You did nothing wrong."

She kissed the top of Callie's head, feeling the teen go limp in her arms and hearing her cry softly.

"We will protect you, and we will help you Callie. You will always be safe here my love."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N Sorry for the delay in this story! Been busy with study, but will try and continue to add chapters as soon as I can. This chapter is more about Stef and exploring some of her feelings about what is going on. Stef is my fave character on the show; I find her very intriguing and interesting, I have no idea why! ;) So I enjoy writing from her perspective. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think!**_

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Lena had heard bits and pieces of Callie's conversation with Stef from the kitchen, and she was now awkwardly hovering between rooms. It had gone quiet in the lounge room, and Lena took a deep breath before poking her head into the room. Callie was curled up in Stef's lap, muffled sobs coming from her mouth. Stef was holding Callie in her arms, her hand running reassuringly over her back as she sobbed. But it wasn't that sight that concerned Lena the most, it was the look in her partner's eyes. Lena had never seen Stef look so angry before. She was staring straight ahead, so focused on the wall in front of her that she didn't even notice Lena walk through the doorway. Lena had been with Stef long enough to be able to read her like a book, and Stef's emotions were always displayed vividly in her eyes. Lena could see Stef was so focused because she was trying hard to keep herself in control. Her right foot was tapping anxiously on the floor, and she was biting down hard on her lower lip. Whatever Lena had thought she had heard from the kitchen had now been confirmed. Whatever Callie had been through, was going through; it was really bad.

Stef finally shifted her gaze long enough to see Lena standing in front of her. She locked eyes with her, mentally telling Lena that she needed to get up, she needed to get out of the room. Lena sat on the other side of Callie, shifting the girls weight off of Stef's lap and on to her own. Callie didn't seem to mind who she was laying on, as long as there was someone there to hang on to. Stef immediately got off the couch and headed across the room quickly.

"Stef... Stef are you ok?" Lena quietly asked, but there was no answer. Stef was already gone.

Stef shut the front door behind her and headed out of the house. She had no idea where she was going, or what she was doing. She made a beeline for the garage, opening the side door and slamming it shut behind her. Sliding down the door, she felt hot tears rapidly escaping from her eyes. Soon she was crouched on the floor, her back against the door and her head in her hands. She had never felt like this before, so upset and so angry that the world had failed this girl time and time again. Stef knew she was protective, she always had been. She knew that protective nature is what drew her to the police force in the first place, and she had experienced that same protective feeling with Brandon, the twins and with Lena. If anybody hurt one of her children, or the love of her life for that matter, Stef lost it. Her hot head and inability to think before she spoke or acted had gotten her in trouble in the past; a trait that the ever calm Lena never quite understood about her partner.

But Stef hadn't quite expected to feel like that about Callie and Jude; well not so soon anyway. She knew in the back of her mind that it was definitely a possibility, the more she got to know them the more fond she grew of them. But she had never expected to have such a strong reaction so soon. She had never felt this protective. Her anger over what had happened to Callie continued to sit on her chest, and her mind ticked over what the teenager had confessed to her.

She was raped. She was raped multiple times by someone who was pretending to be her brother. She felt bile rise in her throat and her heart raced as she thought about what she would do if she ever saw this guy. She felt like she would actually kill him, she would beat the crap out of him and kill him. Stef had never felt so strongly about harming someone before, and it thoroughly scared her. Before she knew what she was doing, she was up and she was pacing the garage. She was angry, angry at the situation but also angry at herself for not being able to control her own feelings better.

She couldn't hold the anger in anymore, spinning around quickly and smashing her fist into the closed door behind her.

Her breathing slowed as she saw what she had done.

"Shit" she mumbled under her breath, seeing the hole that she had made and holding her hand up quickly, trying to shake the pain away.

She lent against the car, folding her arms across her chest and letting her head hang low.

She needed to pull it together. She had a family inside, a partner who needed her and a child who had been through absolute hell. She needed to get back to them. She let out a long sigh, wiping at her eyes and looking down at her already brusing knuckles.

Was what she just did any different to what Callie was doing to herself with a razor? She had no idea really. She wished that she did. She stood there for a few more minutes, lost in her own thoughts before she finally pushed herself off the car and walked back towards the door.

"Get it together Stef" she said to herself, shaking her head and letting out one sigh before heading back inside to her family.


End file.
